Why do boxers make so much money?

Hey I was just reading up on maywheather and pacqiuao fight and it says that they have agreed to fight each other on march 13 for a split of $50 million dollars. Now i wouldn't say im the hugest boxing fan in the world but does that not seem way to much money for a fight between two superstars, sure its probably the only fight thats keeping boxing going but i mean c'mon that seems a little much. Also I don't think boxing will ever fold because of the history that it has, it may drop in ratings but i dont think it will fold. What are your guys thoughts on this?

SpiderSilva

1/14/10 8:48:36PM

My cousin is a up and comer(undefeated) in boxing he has fought on a few undercards for big shows and IMO he doesn't make that much just big names that people want to see make the big bucks

spikerman19

1/14/10 9:01:34PM

Posted by Taylor8766

Hey I was just reading up on maywheather and pacqiuao fight and it says that they have agreed to fight each other on march 13 for a split of $50 million dollars. this?

Where did you read this, last I heard the fight was scraped but both fighters plan on Fighting March 13th.

fullerene

1/14/10 9:28:36PM

The fight is off for now, but each fighter was supposedly guaranteed $25 million plus an upside based on PPV sales. In any case, the highest boxing purses are in the tens of millions. That number is much higher (maybe 100x higher) than the numbers for UFC headliners you'll see published in the numerous UFC fighter salary threads which are taken from state athletic commission reports. It's a fair question to ask why.

I think there are a few explanations:1) In boxing the fighters are more important than the promotional agency. You hear about Pacquiao-Cotto or Tyson-Holyfield, not UFC 98 or UFC 108. Naturally, if the promotional organization is more important you would expect them to reap more of the proceeds relative to the salaries.2) The UFC numbers underestimate total compensation. Since the promotional agency (UFC) wants bargaining power over the fighters they try to keep the published (NSAC) salaries low and somewhat predictable for the tier of fighters they have. As was revealed in the UFC-Couture dispute, the actual compensation may be many times higher--making the highest paid UFC fighter millionaires in a single year--but that amount is negotiated through means other than a straight fight purse.3) The boxing numbers overestimate total compensation. If Mayweather gets $10 million to fight, much of that doesn't end up in his pocket. Both he and an MMA fighter pay taxes, trainer fees, sparring partners, etc, but the big additional cost is the promoter's cut. Since the UFC hosts the events, the fighter payouts are more like a salary but in the case of Golden Boy Promotions or Don King Enterprises the fighters owe a significant portion of their earnings back to the promoters. While you might not find an MMA champ in a house as big as Tyson's old digs, you also don't see guys like Tim Witherspoon who is somehow destitute after earning millions that all ended up in Don King's pockets.4) The pay difference is only on the very highest end of the scale. $100 per round, $500 or $1000 per fight--those are the types of numbers that most boxers and most MMA fighters make and the guys who headline the local shows are only making about 10x that much in both sports. It's only the guys who have crossed over and become household names that are making the 7 digit (in the case of MMA) or 8 digit (in the case of boxing) paydays.5) Boxing at the top level, still generates more money than UFC events do. Mayweather-Pacquiao would have exceeded 2 million buys and the top UFC event in 2010 will be lucky to do half that much. Plus the Mayweather-Pacquiao buys would have been 99% attributable to two fighters while the UFC cards are popular because of the UFC name and good mid-card fighters in addition to whoever headlines.

tcunningham

1/14/10 11:21:32PM

i dont know why these boxers need that much money for a fight but i also dont know why A-rod and those pu$$y basketball players make what they do. they all just greedy

postman

1/15/10 7:37:05AM

Posted by tcunningham

i dont know why these boxers need that much money for a fight but i also dont know why A-rod and those pu$$y basketball players make what they do. they all just greedy

Why would you say they are greedy? These guys do something that very few people can do as well as them in the case of A-Rod he is top five in baseball. You ever seen a empty seat at Yankee Stadium? If the owner agrees to pay that much and we as fans agree to buy tickets and PPV at the prices we do it would seem they are just people making as much money as they can just like the rest of us.

DCRage

1/15/10 7:45:39AM

Posted by spikerman19

Posted by Taylor8766

Hey I was just reading up on maywheather and pacqiuao fight and it says that they have agreed to fight each other on march 13 for a split of $50 million dollars. this?

Where did you read this, last I heard the fight was scraped but both fighters plan on Fighting March 13th.

The fight is off. Pacquiao is fighting Joshua Clottey (I think) on 3/13.

telnights

1/15/10 2:04:43PM

Well like others have said most boxers make very little money its only the big names that make huge paydays. But I don't think its just boxing that's the problem I think its almost all sports. Sporting events years ago was something anyone could go to see and now days most cant afford the cost and that's directly linked to the cost of paying the players being increased to exorbitant amounts. I don't disagree with them making a good living but some of these guys are making enough for their Great Great Great Grand children to never have to work and that is crazy. The problem is one person gets payed huge amount and the next guy that maybe better wants more and so on and so on. In the end it has done nothing for the sports but hurt them. The same thing will happen with MMA in time. Now boxing has a lot of issues with it that have really hurt the sport over the years. I don't think boxing will ever die but I think once the big names of today retire it and its fans base (that's mainly made of older males) dies off it will be just a shadow of what it once was.

hate4thestate

1/15/10 3:36:11PM

as long as abraham keeps fighting i will watch boxing.

Zmoneytime

1/17/10 3:56:25AM

im a Pro boxer. and Im very good and the moneys not great sure its better then MMA But depends what level of money your talking about. At a starting pro level its from 400-1000 so... but ye you build up each time You win. i box for myself not for the money i love the sport